


The Saloon

by Ladybughanlen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, POV Third Person, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladybughanlen/pseuds/Ladybughanlen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU - The boys are living in the Old West.  Dean has run from Sam in a moment of doubt.  Sam tracks him down.  Third Party POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Saloon

The saloon doors fly open and slap the thin wooden walls with a loud bang.  

Everyone in the large smoke filled room jumps and turns to look.  After a brief moment of curiosity most go back to their individual activities, a little sheepish perhaps, but more than willing to ignore the latest arrival in favor of more drink and good cheer.  

It’s a typical crowd in a typical frontier own.  

Earl, owner, bar tender, and all around friendly fellow, smiles and nods a greeting.  

The tall broad shouldered man who just announced his presence with authority ignores him.  The newcomer stands silent and vaguely menacing just inside the door, his eyes scanning the crowd, slowly and deliberately.  

Earl sighs.  

The longer the tall man fails to fall in with the rest of the crowd, the more convinced Earl becomes that the man’s sudden arrival means trouble of some kind.  

Moments past and Earl isn’t the only one feeling the itch to seek safety.  A few of the smarter more cagey men in the crowd, begin to stand up, stretch, and nonchalantly depart the danger zone.  In minutes there are only a few folks left.

Earl shakes his head and scans what remains of his Saturday regulars.  Those that stayed are either too drunk or too stupid to recognize the dangerous vibe that has been building in the air since the tall man burst through the door.  

The only odd man out is the stranger who took up residence in the far corner of the bar a few hours earlier.  

Earl frowns.  

The stranger seems both indifferent to the turn of events and highly aware of the tall man’s presence.  

Earl can’t put his finger on it, but something tells him the stranger and the tall man are known to each other.  He fervently hopes that that doesn’t mean trouble.      

The stranger had come in earlier in the day, covered in trail dirt and obviously exhausted.  He’d stepped directly to the bar and gestured to the nearest bottle of good whiskey, paid in gold coin, and sat down as far from the doors as possible.  

Earl has been keeping an eye on the stranger ever since. 

The stranger hasn’t said a word all evening, hasn’t removed his hat or gotten loose like the other patrons.  He’s remained seated, his chair back tilted to rest against the wall, and his booted feet placed comfortably on the scared table top.  The stranger doesn’t look like a ranch hand and he certainly isn’t a farmer.  

Over the last few hours, Earl has watched the man sip his whiskey and lapse into an odd sort of blankness.  

It gives Earl the chills.  He can’t put his finger on why, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Rangers or Bounty Hunters had suddenly poured through the door and killed or dragged the man off to some unknown Hell.  

Earl frowns.

The tall man’s arrival might herald that very thing.  

Earl is pragmatic enough to assume that his hope for a quiet evening, in which his guests drink their fill and stumble on home, has just been shot to shit.   

Earl sighs.

The tall man’s silence drags on and even those who have been focused on their personal pleasures or troubles have started to catch on and vacate.  

Earl patiently wipes the counter in silence until the unchecked exodus ceases.  He waited as long as he dares.

“Can I get you something to drink Mister?”  Earl offers.

“No.”  Comes the curt reply.  “Thank you.”

“Well…what can we do for you then?”  Earl asks.  He tries to sound helpful and not at all like he’d rather the tall man just turn and leave.  Dangerous men can be sensitive to slights and Earl had no doubt that he’s speaking to a dangerous man.  

“I’m looking for someone.”  The tall man says.  His voice is low as if speaking to himself.

“Sure…sure…”  Earl nods helpfully.  “I know just about everyone in town.  Been here all my life.  If you got a name maybe I can steer you in the right direction.”  

Earl is keen to get the tall man out of his place before any shit hits the fan.  He’s been in this situation before and it too often ends in bloodshed.  He hates the clean-up.  

The tall man flicks a glance at Earl and offers him a tight dismissive smile.  “Thank you, but the man I’m looking for is new in town.” 

“You don’t say?”  Earl is at a bit of a loss.

The tall man turns back to the now otherwise empty room and settles his dark gaze on the stranger in the corner.  

Earl sighs again.  

This could go any number of ways and he wants peace.  He silently wills the tall man to take whatever human drama is about to unfold between himself and the stranger outside.

The stranger ignores the tall man’s eyes on him and pours himself another shot of whiskey.  He tosses it back and sets the shot glass carefully on the table.  

Earl is relieved to note that the stranger’s hands are still steady.  It gives him cause to hope that the stranger isn’t so drunk he’ll throw caution to the wind and do something truly stupid like draw his gun.

“You sure I can’t get you something to wet your whistle?”  Earl is anxious to diffuse the situation.  “I’ve got the best whiskey in the territory and bourbon all the way from Kentucky.”

“Thank you, no.”  The tall man replies.  His polite demeanor belays his menacing appearance.  “I’m just here to get something straight with a man I’ve been looking for and…it looks like I just found him.”

Earl chances a look at the stranger in the corner.  

The stranger has shown no physical reaction to tall man’s arrival and subsequent comments.  It is either enviable control or reckless disregard for his personal safety.  

Earl can’t decide.  

The stranger in the corner sighs heavily and drops his feet down to the rough wood floor with a hollow thump.  He pours himself another whiskey and downs it.  He sniffs once, wipes his mouth with the back of his leather gloved hand, and slowly rises to his feet.  

The tall stranger shifts slightly in response, a subtle movement of his feet, a fighter’s stance.  

Neither man makes a move for their guns.  

Earl sighs in relief.  Maybe the looming confrontation will lend toward fisticuffs instead.  It’s a long shot, but he’s willing to hope.

The stranger put his hands on his hips and throws the tall man a look of complete and utter boredom.  

The tall man sighs and shakes his head.  

Earl shakes his head too.  Young men and their attitudes, he’ll never understand.  

“ _This..._ is how you’re going to play it?”  The tall man asks, impatience written all over his face.  

The stranger sniffs and shrugs.

“You left me.”  The tall man growls.  

The stranger flinches, but holds his silence.

“ _You..._ left... _me_!”  The tall man shouts and clenches his fists as if he’s checking his desire to lunge for the stranger’s throat.  The man’s breath hitches and his voice falls low and pained.  “You left me in the middle of the night like…like I was just…some… _some cheap wh..._ ”  

“ _Stop!”_ The stranger shouts.  He sways a little, blinks, and steadies himself.  He raises a hand.  “Just stop.  It…it wasn’t like… _that_.”  

“ _Yes._ ”The tall man grinds out.  “It was _exactly_ …like that _._ ”

The stranger shakes his head in denial even though his face, a mask of guilt and uncertainty, gives him away.  He turns and reaches for the bottle of whiskey still on the table.  Just as he wraps his hand around the neck of the bottle it shatters.  The stranger grunts in surprise and turns to glare at the tall man.

Earl gulps and freezes.

The tall man’s draw had been lightening fast.  

Earl hadn’t even seen him pull.  The bartender is too shocked to move.

“ _Sonofabitch!_ ”  The stranger shakes his hand and wipes whiskey spatters off his leather vest.  He glares at the mess in disgust.  “That was good whiskey!” 

The tall man smirks and holsters his six-gun.  He crosses his arms over his chest and settles a steady look on the stranger.  For a long tense moment the two men hold each other’s eyes.  

Earl holds his breath.  

The stranger finally breaks under the brunt of the tall man’s unrelenting stare and drops his eyes to the floor with a heavy sigh.  He rubs his face and grimaces.  

“I never meant to…to make you… _feel_ …like _that._ ”  The stranger’s eyes swirl with a bleak undefinable emotion.  

Earl has to look away.  

“ _Jesus._ ”  The tall man breathes out in a rush.  “I _know._ ”  

The stranger lifts a brow, his eyes hooded and unreadable.

“I didn’t chase your stubborn ass all over creation to get an _apology_.”  The tall man says low and weary.  “I knew you were sorry the minute you left.”

Earl huffs out a relieved breath.          

The stranger’s eyes go wide and fly around the room in confusion.  He tenses and looks as if he’s about to bolt. 

“Don’t.”  The tall man orders.  He raises a hand and points a finger at the stranger who flinches like he’s been jabbed.  “Don’t you _dare_ try and run from me _again_.”  

The stranger looks past the tall man toward the still open doors.  

“I will shoot you in the leg in a heartbeat.”  The tall man states baldy.  

Earl has no doubt he would.  

Apparently the stranger believes t too.  He snorts, rolls his shoulders, and stills. 

The tall man nods.  He takes another deep breath and lets it out slow.  “I know why you did it.”  

The stranger raises an eyebrow and waits.  

“I _know_ you.”  The tall man says evenly.  “I get why you thought you had to leave…and I…”  He falters for the first time since he threw himself through the front doors.  “I _love_ you for it.”

The stranger gapes at the tall man.  His eyes flash with longing and he visibly restrains himself from stepping forward.

Earl stops pretending to be busy at the bar and simply stares.  

The stranger squeezes his eyes shut and crosses his arms over his chest in self-defense.  He shakes his head and sucks in a few deep breaths.  “You _can’t_.”  He says finally, his voice cracked and stretched.

The tall man takes a deep breath and a tentative step forward.  “Yes.”  He insists.  “I _can_.” 

“I’m not worth it.”  The stranger declares his voice rough and full of certainty.  He keeps his eyes on the floor. 

Earl has seen some desperate men in his time.  He’s watched men drink themselves under the table, risk too much, and care too little.  He’d thought that he’d seen all manner of despair on display in the shadows of his bar, but this man looks as if he is about to break into pieces.  

Earl has to bite his tongue to keep from shouting at the tall man to do something, anything before the stranger crumbles into nothingness right here and now.

“Yes…you…are.”  The tall man growls.

“ _If_ you know me so well.”  The stranger shakes his head and scowls at the ceiling.  “You know I won’t give up this... _life_.”

“I know.”  The tall man replies.  “I can handle this life.”  He adds with firm confidence.  “As long as _you_ are a part of it.” 

The stranger huffs and looks away.  He blinks furiously and covers his obvious distress by tugging at his gloves.  

Earl bends his head to hide a smile.

The stranger takes a couple of deep breaths and frowns.  “You _think_ you know, but you don’t.  This life is hard...painful…and short.”  He looks at the tall man with sad knowing eyes.  “You’re meant for other things.  We both know that.  Don’t… _waste…_ your chance for something better.”  

The stranger rubbed his face again and sighs.  “I never had a choice and now…I don’t want one.  I am who I am, but you…you still have…”  The stranger waves a hand in the air.  _“Possibilities_.”  

The tall man straightens his shoulders and lifts his chin.  “You don’t get to decide for me.” 

The stranger shoots a glare at the tall man that Earl assumes would kill a lesser man on the spot.  

“Don’t choose this.”  The stranger tells the tall man.  He holds the tall man’s eyes for along moment and then his anger suddenly deflates into resignation.  “ _Please._ ”     

“I already have.”  The tall says matter-of-fact.  “I left those other… _possibilities…_ behind the minute I rode out with you.”

The stranger flinches and hunches his shoulders.

“I don’t regret it.”  The tall man declares.  “I’ll _never_ regret it.”

The stranger jerks his head up and looks hard at the tall man’s face.  

Earl does to.  He sees nothing but honest conviction.  

“You need to stop running.”  The tall man says, his voice laden with frustration.  “From everything…from _me._ ”

The stranger glares at the tall man. “Now who’s deciding for _who?_ ”  

“ _Whom._ ”  The tall man corrects with a grin.  “And don’t be an asshole.”  

The stranger has the good graces to look sheepish.  He sniffs and sighs.  “I’m a Hunter.”  He sets his chin in a mulish frown.  “I go where the Hunt takes me.  I help whoever I can…whenever I can…wherever I can.”  

The stranger’s shoulders sag.  “I’ve never had a home…”  He looks away and blinks.  “You had that once...you could have it again.”  The stranger sighs.  “This _life_ it can’t be… _I_ can’t be what you want.”  

“Why?” The tall man takes another step forward.  “Why not?”  He tilts his head, genuinely curious.  “Why can’t you be enough for me?”

The stranger has no answer for that.  No retort, just a sad shake of his head.  “I don’t deserve it.”  He clears his throat, his eyes shining.  “I don’t have the right to take every chance you’ll ever have to be anything you could want away from you.  I don’t deserve that kind of… _sacrifice_.”

The tall man shakes his head and Earl finds himself doing the same.

“I don’t deserve _you._ ” The stranger whispers.    

“Yes you do.”  The tall man heaves a sigh and rolls his eyes to the ceiling.  “You stubborn _Jerk!_ ”

The stranger’s nostrils flare and Earl could swear he can hear the grinding of teeth.    

“ _What do you want from me_?”  The stranger demands.  He throws his hands out and Earl can see them shaking.  “What do you want?”

“I want you to value your life as much as I do.”  The tall man grinds out.  “I want you to _stop_ needlessly risking yourself…as if…as if you aren’t just as important as those you _save_.”

The stranger closes his eyes and clamps his mouth shut tight.   

The tall man moves slowly, gracefully across the creaking wooden slats until he’s within an arms length of the stranger.  

“I want you to realize that you can’t save everyone…and that every... _loss..._ it isn’t _your_ fault.”  The tall man persists.  “I want you to look into the mirror and see what I see…a good man.  A flawed…scarred…stubborn…man, but also...”  The tall man opens his hands in a gesture of appeasement.  “An admirable man…brave…fiercely loyal… _passionate man_.”

The stranger stands stock still.  He’s frozen under the eyes of the tall man.  

The tall man moves in close.  He reaches up and pushes back the stranger’s hat.  He takes the man’s face in his hands and bends slightly.  He leans in and kisses the stranger softly, comfortingly.  

The stranger sighs.

Earl does too.  He couldn’t help it.    

The tall man pulls back and rubs his thumbs over the stranger’s cheek bones.  He looks at the stranger with open adoration.  

The stranger sways under the weight of it and clutches at the tall man’s shoulders to steady himself.  His licks his lips and huffs out a breath.    

“I want you to see me as an _equal_.”  The tall man continues.  “I want us to be true partners…and _lovers_.”  

The tall man kisses the stranger again.  This time with a sudden and demanding passion.  

The stranger responds with such obvious need that Earl blushes by default.     

The tall man eventually pulls back.

The stranger looks up into the face of his lover and blinks.  Clearly dazed. 

“I love you more than anything in this world or the next.”  The tall man confesses.  “Can you accept that?”

The stranger swallows hard.  “ _Yes._ ”  He says finally.  “Yes.”

“Can you… _do_ you love me in return?”  The tall man asks.  The question hangs in the air while the tall man waits patiently for an answer.

Earl holds his breath.  

“I do.”  The stranger replies softly.  “I... _love_ you.”  He grins in triumph.  “There I said it.”

The tall man grins proudly in return.  “Yes, you did.”

They both suddenly look ten years younger.  

Earl grins.  

“I think I’ve loved you since the moment we burned our first set of bones together…up on the mesa?”  The stranger sighs.  “The stars were so bright.  You were grinning and covered in dirt.  You were… _well..._ ”  His cheeks flush and he bows his head.  “You were suddenly everything I’d ever wanted.”  

The stranger takes a deep breath and looks up at the tall man.  “I never loved anyone before...”  He admits.  “I’m terrified I’m gonna screw it up.”

The tall man chuckles and pulls the stranger into his arms.  “Just promise me you’ll stay with me no matter what.”  He tucks the shorter man’s head under his chin and wraps his arms around him, tight and possessive.  “That’s all I ask.” 

“Ok.”  The stranger nods.  “Ok, Sammy.”

“Good.”  The tall man smiles obviously relieved.  “You and me Dean.  That’s all we need.  Just _you_ and _me_.”

Earl shakes his head.  Thank God.  He isn’t sure his heart could have taken much more.  

DONE

Thank you for reading.  I hope you enjoyed it! 

Thank you Kripke and Co., J2, the Writers and Staff for bringing Supernatural to life.

 


End file.
